Right to Information (RTI)
“Information is the currency of democracy.” — commonly attributed to Thomas Jefferson
Free, exam-ready Right to Information (RTI) notes for LL.B. — concise topic notes, comparison charts, landmark cases and solved IRAC problems. Pick any topic below.
Unit I — Freedom of Information — Origins, Democracy and the Constitution
- Historical development of freedom of information — Sweden, USA and UK
- Right to information under international conventions
- Right to information in India before the RTI Act, 2005 — the judicial ‘right to know’
- Significance of RTI in a democracy — transparency, accountability and good governance
- Constitutional basis of RTI — Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21
- Supreme Court on the right to information — the cases that created the right
- Objects, reasons and salient features of the RTI Act, 2005
- The people’s movement — Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and Jan Sunvai
- Emerging trends — RTI and corruption, e-governance, media, whistle-blowers; bottlenecks
Unit II — The RTI Act, 2005 — Definitions, the Right, and the Obligations of Public Authorities
- ‘Information’ (s. 2(f)) and ‘record’ (s. 2(i))
- ‘Right to information’ (s. 2(j)) and s. 3 — the right of every citizen
- ‘Public authority’ (s. 2(h)) and ‘competent authority’ (s. 2(e))
- Obligations of public authorities — s. 4 suo motu disclosure
- Public Information Officers — designation and duties (ss. 5, 6(3))
- Procedure to obtain information — request (s. 6) and disposal (s. 7)
- Exemptions from disclosure — s. 8, the s. 8(2) override, ss. 8(3) and 9
- Personal information and privacy — s. 8(1)(j) in practice
- Third-party information — s. 11
- Severability — s. 10
- Organisations to which the Act does not apply — s. 24
- The Appropriate Government’s duty to educate and propagate RTI — s. 26
Unit III — The Information Commissions — Appeals and Penalties
- Central Information Commission — constitution, composition and appointment (ss. 12–13)
- Term of office and service conditions of the Chief IC and Information Commissioners (s. 13)
- Removal of the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners (ss. 14, 17)
- State Information Commission — constitution, powers and functions (ss. 15–16)
- Powers and functions of the Information Commissions; complaints (s. 18)
- Appeals — First Appellate Authority and Second Appeal (s. 19)
- Complaint (s. 18) distinguished from Appeal (s. 19)
- Penalties (s. 20) and the Commission’s power to award compensation
- Administration of the Act — the RTI machinery and rule-making (ss. 27–28)
Unit IV — Other Related Laws
- Official Secrets Act, 1923 — objects, salient features and its status after the RTI Act (s. 22)
- Penalties under the Official Secrets Act — spying (s. 3) and wrongful communication (s. 5)
- Public Records Act, 1993 — objects, salient features and the Central Government’s powers
- Records Officer — duties and responsibilities
- Archival Advisory Board
- Public Records Rules, 1997 — classified records, defunct bodies and access for research
- Freedom of Information Act, 2002 — salient features and why the RTI Act replaced it
- Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 — appointment and constitution of a Commission (s. 3)
- Powers of the Inquiry Commission — civil-court powers, additional powers and the s. 10A penalty (ss. 4, 5, 5A, 5B, 8A, 10A)
- Commission of Inquiry (Central) Rules, 1972
Unit V — Judicial Response and Best Practices
- Judicial response — Supreme Court and High Court decisions on the RTI Act; the judiciary as a public authority
- RTI and the right to privacy — harmonious construction
- ‘Best practices’ — meaning and those adopted by Governments, Commissions and public authorities
- Citizen’s Charter as a best practice
- State innovations — the Jaankari system, Bihar
- Leading decisions of the Information Commissions — the composite departmental essay
- CIC / SIC decisions — Police department
- CIC / SIC decisions — Revenue department
- CIC / SIC decisions — PWD, Irrigation, Secretariat and CPWD
- CIC decisions — BSNL and Posts & Telegraphs
- CIC decisions — Scheduled Banks
- CIC decisions — Income Tax and Central Excise departments
- CIC / SIC decisions — Local authorities and development authorities
✏️ Practice
- 10 Solved Problems (IRAC Method) — KSLU-style problems worked in full
- KSLU Past Questions & Exam Topics
Download the Right to Information (RTI) Complete Bundle + Question Bank — ₹199 — the full study notes plus a Question Bank of model answers (essays + problems) for every previously-asked KSLU question, in one printable PDF for all 5 units.
🆓 Free sample: Download Unit 1 (free PDF)